Mastermind Dinners

What are the big ideas?

1. Being an entrepreneur means working hard now to have a better life in the future.
2. Always look for new chances and learn from tough times.
3. Building strong relationships is key to success in business and life.
4. Surround yourself with people who are ahead of you and challenge you to grow.
5. In marketing and sales, be real and think about what others need or want from you.

Summary

The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Journey

• “People don’t realize that entrepreneurship is ‘living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t’.”

Embracing Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges

• “As my friend Colin Collard once said, ‘When one door closes, another one opens, but it sucks to be stuck in the hallway’.”
• “I jump at most opportunities that will lead to a better story, or a better life lived.”

The Importance of Investing in Relationships

• “Investing in my relationships was the safest investment I could make, and I believe the same is true for you.”
• “Invest in people like others would invest in a business; the return is far greater.”

Personal Growth Through Associations

• “Abundance creates energy, and envy (scarcity) drains it. You need to surround yourself with people who are batteries and not black holes.”
• “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”
• “If I could boil my success down to one thing it’s that I have always surrounded myself with people who were one or two steps ahead of me.”
• “My model has always been that if you’re the smartest person in the room you’re in the wrong room.”
• “Surrounding yourself with people who make you feel uncomfortable (on some level) forces you to grow as quickly as possible to bridge the gap between where you are and where they are.”
• “Get comfortable with the uncomfortable because un-faced fears become your limits.”
• “Who you surround yourself with is who you become, so choose wisely.”

Enhancing Networking and Relationship Building

• “Want to supercharge your networking with real players? Hold a dinner for speakers.”
• “You must be sure there is at least one commonality amongst your guests.”
• “Make sure you don’t select people at both extremes of the unifying commonality. You don’t want to have an entrepreneur with a one-hundred million dollar company at a dinner with a bunch of people who have startups.”
• “You don’t want to invite anyone with a conflicting interest (i.e. direct competitors). The goal for you as a dinner host is to put four to eight incredible people in a room and create an environment where they feel comfortable to open up and share.”
• “Before brainstorming who you would like to invite be clear as to ‘why’ you are putting on these dinners in the first place, and why you want certain individuals there.”

Marketing and Sales Through Authenticity and Transparency

• “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
• “A good salesman knows that his first real sale is himself. I’ve learned that when you’re honest, raw and authentic, marketing is effortless. If people don’t bite it’s most likely because they are not the right fit, and I NEVER sell something to someone when they aren’t the right fit. For those who are the right fit, no explanation is necessary. For those who are not the right fit, no explanation will do.”
• “My good friend Michael Fishman sums it up perfectly when he says that ‘credibility can be established with credentials or by being transparent that you have no credentials’.”
• “Don’t forget to ask yourself one of the most important questions of all – ‘what is in it for them?’ It is baffling how often this question is overlooked. If you’re reaching out to someone cold, there must be some kind of clear benefit for them.”
• “Ask yourself, ‘If I received 500+ emails a day, would I bother to open this email?’”
• “Leaving subject lines open can be a great hook.”
• “Whenever faced with an objection follow up with a question like ‘Under what circumstances would you say yes?’”

Questions

1. How do you prepare yourself for the unique challenges and sacrifices of entrepreneurship?
2. When facing a closed door in life, how do you find or create new opportunities?
3. What steps do you take to invest in and strengthen your relationships?
4. How do you ensure you're surrounded by people who inspire and challenge you to grow?
5. In networking, how do you create meaningful connections and ensure common interests among your contacts?
6. How do you maintain authenticity in your marketing and sales efforts?
7. When reaching out to others, especially for business or networking, how do you ensure there's a clear benefit for them?
8. How do you handle objections or refusals in professional or personal interactions?

Discussion

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